Flush tank lever



, Nov. 29, 1949 B. R. cRAMPToN FLUSH TANK LEVER Filed Feb. 10, 1947 IIlIII'lII o Il Il l Il Il Il Il Il Il Il \NvaNToR E As\| R. CRAmPToN f ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 29, 1949 FLUSH TANK LEVER Basil R. Cramptom Grand Rani-ds, Mich., assign- Er, by mesne assignments, to Crampton Mannfacturing Company., Grand Rapids, Mich., a

corporation of Michigan Application February 10, 1947, Serial No. 727,663

4 Claims.

The present invention is concerned with Yilush tank levers, and `it is a primary .object and purpose of the invention to produce a lever "which is completely and Wholly ,assembled :at the factory where made, and is installed upon 4a ushing tank by passage of the L'rft arm and the mounting nxture or sp1-1d of the lever through a tank wall opening, the handle being permanently secured at a ytransverse spindle which passes through the spud and is mounted for limited rocking movement thereon. Said spindle and lever lift arm are preferably of -a single integral flat bar constructionand in this invention the handle has an outer shell oi a material, usually a plastic, by means of which the very expensive step or process of plating 'fthe outside handle is eliminated. `Such plastic outer member being of insufcient lstrengtl'i to satisfactorily endure the sometimes rough and abusive service to which ilush tank levers are subjected, there is provided an inner reinforcing handle member of metal, which .is readily assembled economically, and there is permanently and securely connected vtogether, the .outer lend of the lever stem, inner reinforcing metal handle member, and the outer plastic covering shell therefor.

It is a further object :and purpose :of the invention to provide all parts of the lever structure in practical, durable, economical form and structure so that the lever is readily produced in large quantity production at a minimum of cost, and is particularly .sturdy and durable for 'the service which it is to fulfill. Other .objects and purposes than those `directly mentioned will appear upon an understanding of a 'preferred structure embodying the invention, described -in the iollowing description, and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the lever of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an inner elevation of the lever handle, the transverse stem of the lever -being shown in sec-tion.

Fig. 3 is :a fragmentary, somewhat enlarged horizontal section through the wall of a ilushing tank, the lever being shown in plan except for the -outside handle cover shell, which is in horizontal section.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, substantially central vertical section through the `completely assembled lever having its handle attached.

Fig. 5 is a Lvertical section centrally through the lever at the plane of attachment .of the hande, mounting fixture or spud and lever stem, and

Fig, 6 :shows in perspective the plastic cover shell, the inner metal reinforcing member of the lever handle, and the cotter pin which is used for permanently connecting them and the stem portion of the lever in a permanent assembly.

Like reference characters refer to like parts inr the diierent views of the drawing.

The flushing tank lever of the present invention is designed :for connection to a vertical front Wall l oi a ushing tank, which has an opening through the wall, usually square in cross-section. The mounting xture or spud has an inner exteriorly threaded portion 2, and at its outer end is formed with a flange -3 immediately within which is a squared section 4 of dimensions to readily enter the squared opening through the wall l. When the spud is inserted through the wall the outer flange 3 comes against the outer side of the Wall around the opening, and the threaded inner portion 2 extends beyond the inner .side of the wall and is designed to have a clamping nut `(not numbered) screwed thereon for securing the spud or mounting fixture inplace and in a non-rotative relation to the wall because of the complementary cross-section vof the wall opening and of the section 4 of the spud.

Said spud or .mounting fixture is axially .hollowed from its outer end nearly to its inner end. A lift arm 5 having a 'stem 6, substantially at right angles thereto `at one end, is made from a single length of flat bar metal stock, the stem passing through an opening in the inner end of the spud and extending beyond the outer end thereof. It has a circular opening 'l through it a short distance inward from its outer end. As shown, the bar stock is twisted through a quarter turn in the disclosure made. Said lever member is mounted upon the spud to have a limited rocking movement about the longitudinal axis of the s-pud. The 'specio structure for controlling vand limiting said rocking movement is old and well known and need not be disclosed in detail herein.

A handle forming a part of the complete lever is permanently secured at the outer projecting end iportion of the stem '6. It includes an inner handle member 8 of metal, usually die-cast, which between its ends and near one end, is increased in cross-section and laterally enlarged in both directions at `ll, and through which a centrally disposed vsocket I0, rectangular in crosssecti-on, :is made of dimensions such that the outer Alined openings Il .are 4made through the sides of the enlarged portion 9, and when such handle member and free end portion of the stem 6 are assembled, the openings II are disposed in alined conjunction with the opening 'I through the stem. From the inner side of the enlarged section 9 of the member described, two pins I2 extend, one adjacent each side of the opening or socket IIJ, which extend into the outer end of the axial passage through the spud as best shown in Fig. 5.

The cover shell of the handle, preferably of plastic material, which material may be of a color desired, includes a substantially cuplike housing having generally cylindrical walls I3 and an integral closure top or side I4 at one end. From one side of the walls I3, an integral handle section I5, channel shaped in cross-section, extends radially, and the top I4 and a portion of the wall I3 diametrically opposite the handle extension I5, have a shallow groove I6 therein. Such cover is placed over the inner metal handle member S, which ts within the radially extending handle portion I and is seated at a portion of its outer edges in the groove IS.

Integrally molded with the housing top I4 are two projecting parts I'I, which extend therefrom so as to lie one directly against each of the sides of the enlarged portion 9 of the metal handle reinforcing member. Each of the parts I'I has an opening I8 therethrough, which, when the parts are properly assembled, aline with the openings I I, and all of the openings are in alinement with a still further opening I9 made through the wall I3 of the housing at one side.

With the parts thus assembled, a cotter pin 20, having two arms bent so as to lie one against the other, has its closed integral end inserted through the opening I9, thence through the alined openings I8, II and i of the parts Il, the part 9 and the stem t. One of the sides of the cotter pin at its free end is slightly shorter than the other and is curved outwardly away therefrom, as shown at 2|. The pin when inserted to the full extent, as in Fig. 5, has such outwardly bent extremity passed entirely through the opening I9, yielding when passing therethrough, and after such passage springing out to its normal position, wherein it is out of alinement with the opening I9 and against the inner side of the wall I3 of the housing at one side of the opening.

t is apparent with such construction and assembly that after the cotter pin is inserted to its full extent, it is locked against removal. The lever structure, therefore, is one of a permanent type and the handle part of the lever will not accidentally or otherwise become disconnected from the stem and lift arm parts of the lever.

The construction is very economical to produce. The plastic covering shell is formed in large quantities in molds therefor and needs no machining except the piercing of the holes I8 and I 9, and requires no expensive buiing, polishing and plating thereof. It gives a pleasant, attractive and decorative aspect to the only visible portion of the lever when it is in use mounted on a ilushing tank. The piercing of the holes I I and I are rapid operations. The spud is cast complete in a die casting machine, as is also the handle member 8. There is no threading required, no screws to work loose and the Cotter pin in permanent connection as described is practical, sturdy and yet economical. The invention has been in practical use and has established itself as very satisfactory through the ordering and supplying of such orders to the extent of many thousands. Heretofore handles in one piece of die cast metal have required that they be chromium plated usually at their outer exposed surfaces, and the cost of such plating has exceeded one-third of the total cost of the entire lever. Such plating is fully eliminated with a resultant economy in production in the present invention.

The invention is defined in the appended claims, and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming Within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a structure as described, a lever including a lift arm, a transverse spindle at one end thereof and a handle at the other end of the spindle, said handle comprising an inner handle member and a separable cover with spaced sides thereover, said cover at one side having an opening through it and two spaced apart members within the sides of the cover integral therewith, one located at each side of the inner handle member, an end of the spindle of said lever extending into said inner handle member between opposite sides thereof, said spindle, inner handle member and said mentioned members of the cover having openings in conjunction with each other and in alinement with the first mentioned opening in a side of the cover, and a transverse securing member passing through all 0f said openings to secure the handle member, its cover and the spindle in fixed relation to each other.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, said transverse member comprising a cotter pin of a length of metal bent back upon itself and having two sides located one against the other, one of said sides at its free end being shorter than the other and normally bent away therefrom, said cotter pin when its closed end is inserted through said alined openings, and the opening in the side of the cover, having the side thereof of shortest length located within the cover and to one side of the opening in the side of the cover, whereby said Cotter pin is permanently located against removal.

3. A flushing tank lever comprising, a mounting xture adapted to be secured at an opening through the wall of a flushing tank, a lever structure including a spindle passing through said mounting fixture and mounted thereon for rocking movement, a handle member forming a part of the lever having a widened portion at one end with a socket opening therein to receive the outer end of said spindle, said end of the spindle and said widened portion of the handle member having transverse alined openings therethrough, and a covering housing member embracing said first mentioned handle member, and at one end thereof formed with a generally cup-like housing closed at its outer end and having two spaced inwardly extending members adapted to be located one at each side of the widened portion of said handle member, and having openings therethrough alined with the openings through the spindle and housing member, said cup-like housing portion in a side thereof having an opening therethrough alined with the previously mentioned alined openings, and means passing through said openings permanently securing said spindle, handle member and covering housing in permanent fixed relation to each other.

4. A flushing tank lever including a lift arm, a

spindle integrally connected at one end with one end of the lift arm and located substantially at right angles thereto, and an operating handle at the free end portion of the spindle, said handle comprising a strong and rigid inner handle member and a separable covering member for said rst handle member, a single means for securing said spindle at its free end portion, said inner handle member, and the cover therefor, in permanent non-separable connection with each other, said inner handle member comprising, a bar of metal having a portion thereof adjacent its inner end of greater thickness than the remainder thereof, said greater thickness portion having a socket therein to receive the free end portion of the spindle, and said covering member being of a plastic material and having a cup-like housing portion at one end and a portion radially extending therefrom, channel shape in cross-section, between the sides of which said rst mentioned handle m-ember is received at one end portion thereof, the other end portion including the widened section thereof being within said cuplike housing, means on said cup-like housing eX- tending to either side of the thickened portion of said handle member, said securing member extending through the spindle, handle member, and said last mentioned means.

BASIL R. CRAlVIPTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

